Get In Her Ears Live @ Shacklewell Arms w/ A Void, 13.04.2023

On Thursday, we were back at Shacklewell Arms with a truly immense line-up! Huge massive thanks to headliners A Void, as well as Collars and Banshi for being amazing! Thanks too to Sofia on sound, and to everyone who came down to support the bands, dance the night away, and help us raise £100 for Rainbow Migration, who do vital work to support LGBTQI+ folk seeking asylum.

Kicking the night off, Cardiff band Banshi treat us to their swirling rock anthems, each delivered with a unique sparkling energy as front person Yasmin’s incredible vocals soar alongside catchy funk-fuelled hooks.

Next up, Cambridgeshire duo Collars offer an utterly unique live experience. As Kane simultaneously pummels the drums whilst blasting out whirring hooks on guitar, Dan exudes a captivating charisma as the soaring power of their vocals fills the venue with a fierce, dazzling energy.

Headliners A Void fill the venue with their immense, grunge-fuelled anthems. Oozing a frenzied visceral energy, they treat the bouncing crowd to 45 minutes of wonderfully raging offerings as Camille Alexander’s raw, sultry vocals blast out with a captivating allure.


Massive thanks to the three amazing bands who played for us on Thursday and to everyone who came out to support them and us! We’ll be back at Shacklewell Arms on 19th May with Brighton band Hypsoline, plus support from The Ethical Debating Society and Rom Coms – nab tickets here!

Words: Mari Lane / @marimindles
Photos: Jon Mo / @jonmophoto

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Five Favourites: Aisha Badru

Having previously charmed our ears with the exquisite grace of 2021 EP The Way Back Home and her debut album Pendulum, and with acclaim from the likes of The Line Of Best Fit and Afropunk, singer-songwriter Aisha Badru has now announced the release of her upcoming new EP, due out in June. Following the stirring ‘Lazy River‘, latest single ‘Path Of Least Resistance‘ flows with a lilting soulful energy as it reflects on the apprehensions of new love. Rippling with the rich, shimmering grace of Badru’s vocals, it offers a beautifully soothing heartfelt anthem; showcasing the rich, blissful majesty that we can expect from the rest of the EP.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the upcoming new EP, we caught up with Aisha to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. So, read about her five favourite songs, and make sure you listen to the beautiful ‘Path Of Least Resistance‘ below…

Sarah Jaffe – ‘Clementine’
I stumbled on Sarah Jaffe around the time in my early 20s when I was really starting to get into folk music. I love the raw and emotional honesty that she shares on her album Suburban Nature and her simplistic yet deep lyrics that hold such relatable stories of relationships, heartbreak and life. Back then when I was going through a break up, I had the album on repeat and it made me feel not so alne and hopeless; it made me feel human. This sentiment is one that I hope people find when they listen to my music. One song in particular that was a favourite is ‘Clementine’.

Yuna – ‘Decorate’ 
Yuna was a huge inspiration of mine when I first started writing my own music. I have never been a particularly strong singer or able to hold any impressive notes. My vocal delivery has always been quite simple and my singing often resembles a whisper. Yuna has a similarly soft voice to mine and she’s able to penetrate into deep places with her touching and playful lyrics. I found myself really owning and embracing my soft voice after finding her. There is something very revealing about her conservative approach to music and ‘Decorate’ perfectly displays how you can articulate such profound emotions using a few gentle words and a simple musical arrangement.

Alice Phoebe Lou – ‘Society’ 
You know that feeling when you can feel the message of a song resonating throughout your entire body and soul so much that it gives you goosebumps? That is something that I felt often when I would listen to Alice Phoebe Lou’s earlier songs. She has so many great songs, but one in particular that comes to mind that made me fall in love with her is ‘Society’. Her commentary on society within her lyrics is really moving. You’ll often hear me speaking of broader subjects in my music too. I would say that she inspired the confidence to sing about subjects other than love.

Beautiful Chorus ft. India Arie – ‘I Am’ 
Beautiful Chorus is a harmonising group of women who release spiritual songs that centre around emotional and vibrational healing. Their songs often contain repetitive mantras that have this calming effect on the nervous system while also being extremely uplifting. This song that they released with India Arie is one of my favourite songs, like ever. These women have definitely inspired me to use more soothing sounds and mantra-like lyrics in my music which can be heard in songs of mine such as ‘Rooted’ and ‘Road To Self’.

Lauryn Hill – MTV Unplugged (set)
When I think of some of my earliest music memories, I think of Lauryn Hill. What I love about Lauryn Hill is how she stayed true to who she was while existing within an industry that often tries to shape you into something that you’re not. Her whole MTV Unplugged set speaks so beautifully to that journey of staying on the path of honouring her truth. I find that to be incredibly inspiring and I too will always honour my truth and individuality.

Massive thanks to Aisha for sharing her Five Favourites with us! Listen to ‘Path Of Least Resistance’ here.

Learning To Love Again, the upcoming EP from Aisha Badru, is set for release on 2nd June.

Photo Credit: Jeff Trapani

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Five Favourites: Sorry Girls

Since forming in 2015, Montreal duo Heather Foster Kirkpatrick and Dylan Konrad Obront – aka Sorry Girls – have received acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork whilst consistently honing and developing their distinctive sound. Now, set to release their new album in June, they continue to charm our ears with their lilting heartfelt offerings, such as recent single ‘Prettier Things’. Reflecting on being honest with yourself, it oozes a glistening splendour as Heather’s crystalline sugar-sweet vocals ripple with a stirring emotion throughout, reminiscent of the catchy alt-folk of Jenny Lewis. An instant earworm, ‘Prettier Things’ showcases Sorry Girls’ ability to create truly blissful soundscapes, luring the listener in with their immersive twinkling grace.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the upcoming new album, we caught up with Heather from Sorry Girls to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. So, read about her five favourite ever albums, and check out the beautifully hand-crafted video for ‘Prettier Things’ below…

Arthur Russell – Love Is Overtaking Me
This album has to be an all-time favourite for me, and Arthur Russell an ever-evolving all-encompassing HUGE influence for me musically. I’ve carried this album and all of its different songs with me across many chapters of my life. I first heard Arthur Russell in 2015 or so while I was having a nap mid-recording at one of Dylan’s (of Sorry Girls) old apartments, listening to his iTunes Library on shuffle. I heard ’That’s Us / Wild Combination’ and jumped up from my nap and was so excited and thought it was so beautiful. Then, after only really listening to World of Echo and Calling out of Context, I first heard the opening track to ‘Love is Overtaking Me’ on our first tour, where we drove and camped our way across Canada. A friend of ours picked up the guitar and played ‘Close my Eyes’ as we were all nestled around the campfire, and I was in awe because I thought he had written it. I’ve always been really attracted to country music and a sort of “classic” poem-like song and I feel like this is what Arthur Russell is amazing at, especially on this album. I’ve listened to each of the songs countless times over the years since and I don’t know if there is an album I love more than this one. Every song is beautiful, unique and captivating. 

John Prine – The Tree Of Forgiveness
Somehow I missed out on John Prine for most of my life, but this album is gut-wrenching. I love that I found him on his last album because it adds a lot to the experience of it and contextualises a lot of the themes throughout the album. And I honestly think it has some of his best songs: ‘Summer’s End’ and ‘I Have Met my Love Today’ are beautiful songs with gorgeous words on mortality, love and endings sung in his gravelly ageing voice. I think a common thread in the music I love is imagination and playfulness – songwriters that can mix poetic words with a sense of magic and absurdity. I guess, music with a sense of humour. I love the eclectic mix of genres, and I love that his music has a feeling of levity mixed with a grounding sense of emotional honesty. 

Caroline Polacheck – Pang
I am a huge fan of pop, especially of the avant-garde/ art-pop variety. I feel like this album kind of encompasses all of those influences, and seems similarly influenced by artists such as Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Imogen Heap, Dido etc, whilst also being super grounded in the current pop sound. It presents a kinship to the old while innovating, which is something I really appreciate. This album deals a lot with the idea of transition and it carried me through a very transitional time in my life where I was dealing with carving identity and moving through heavy emotions, and I feel like this album is a perfect anthem for this kind of pursuit. Not to mention the amazing songwriting and out-of-this-world voice with seeming built-in theremin. I love.

The Complete Stax / Volt Soul Singles Vol. 2
It might be kind of cheating to feature a compilation BUT this one has two of my all-time favourite songs – ‘Love Changes’ by Charlene And The Soul Serenaders and ‘Just the Way You are Today’ by Barbara Lewis, which I found through this particular compilation. Soul music has been a huge inspiration for me and is the music that drew me in and captivated me the most as a child. I have so many memories of dancing to soul and Motown in my parents’ living room, and to this day it’s still the genre of music that moves me the most. 

Alex G – God Save The Animals
Since this album came out I have almost not listened to anything else. It’s full of so much sincerity, creativity and energy and has such a mix of genres and sounds that feel really honest, but also innovative and exciting. I feel really fired up when I listen to it and it has really set the bar for me recently as a standard for the musical integrity and vibrancy I am striving for. It’s so much fun!

Massive thanks to Heather from Sorry Girls for sharing her Five Favourites! Watch the video for ‘Prettier Things’ here:


Bravo!, the upcoming new album from Sorry Girls, is set for release on 2nd June via Arbutus Records.

Photo Credit: Japhy Saretsky

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Five Favourites: ARXX

It’s the day us at GIHE have been waiting for… It’s ARXX album release day! If you follow us in any way, you’ll know that the Brighton duo Hanni and Clara are one of our ultimate faves, and we’ve been totally in love with them ever since they first blew us away playing live for us at The Finsbury back in 2018. So, the release of brand new album Ride Or Die has been much anticipated and greeted with all the excitement of our inner teen fan grrls.

The album showcases all there is to love about this utterly unique duo, and their incredible ability to fuse genres into something that is completely their own. From the catchy, pop-fuelled singalong choruses of the likes of ‘Baby Uh Huh’ and title track ‘Ride Or Die’, to the gritty energy and fierce allure of ‘Iron Lung’, and the soaring, heartfelt raw emotion of ‘The Last Time’ and ‘Never Want To Go Back’, ARXX prove it remains impossible to pigeon hole them into any one category, whilst maintaining their infectious euphoric power with each and every offering. Listening to the album, a rollercoaster of feelings rushes through me, and I’m left crying tears of joy and pride. ARXX truly are one of the most exciting – and completely lovely – bands in the universe, and they continue to establish themselves as master creators of the freshest, most addictive and most empowering, indefinable life-affirming anthems, and I couldn’t be happier that they exist.

Anywayy, to celebrate the release of Ride Or Die, we caught up with Hanni and Clara about the five albums that have inspired them the most… Have a read, and watch the equestrian-themed video for the album’s title track at the bottom of this feature!

Clara:

P!NK – Funhouse
This is the first album that I knew inside out. I remember being in the airport and my Mum said I could pick a magazine, and I was looking at one with P!NK on the cover and then one with Taylor Swift. I went with P!NK and became fully (and I really mean fully ) obsessed for the next ten years. This album has the mix of rock vocals but great pop production and I couldn’t get enough of it. I listened in full multiple times a day. It’s the album where all the words are forever in my brain. I’ll always be a fan!

Haim – Days Are Gone
Haim are my all time favourite band and also our big bucket list band to support. I remember buying this album in HMV and then becoming completely obsessed with it. The way Danielle Haim plays and writes drum parts is unlike anyone I had heard before, with most of their beats not being straight. My favourite ever song is on this album – ‘My Song 5’. We went to go and see them play in the O2 last year and I have never felt joy like it. And then Taylor Swift came out and we lost our minds again. This will always be an album I go back to!


Hanni:

Tegan and Sara – The Con
Tegan and Sara are one of my all time favourite artists. The Con is one of the very first records that I fell in love with, and connected with emotionally. I’ve always been so inspired by their freedom to transcend genres and transition with each record. Their sound is constantly evolving and I find that so exciting. The Con is a stunning record, lyrically so captivating and interesting as a songwriter, and it just takes me back to a time where I was falling completely in love with music and the idea of being a musician myself. My favourite track is ‘Soil Soil’. 

Kate Nash – Made of Bricks
This album takes me back in so many ways. I remember I was working at my dad’s work one summer holidays, making teas for some pocket money, and on my lunch break I went to the local record store and spent my earnings on whatever new music I could get my hands on. I chose Made of Bricks and I spent the rest of that summer fully obsessed with this record. Kate Nash writes in such an unapologetically literal and obvious way on this record, it was like nothing I’d ever heard. Hearing that as a young person who wanted to write my own music was like being given the keys to the kingdom. I suddenly understood that all I had to do was write about the things that happened in my life, it was that simple. This record made songwriting feel accessible. After I bought and listened to Made of Bricks that day, I went home and wrote my first song. 


Both: 

Avril Lavigne – Let Go
This is our favourite album! It’s one of the greatest records ever written and you can’t convince us otherwise. There’s no weak songs on this record. It’s pure perfection. This record has been the soundtrack to our tour van since day one. Back then, Avril was the coolest thing in the world and made us dream of being rock chicks (lol). It would be our ultimate dream to see this record played live. If this band doesn’t pan out you’ll see us reform as an Avril tribute act!

Thanks so much to Clara and Hanni for sharing their Five Favourites with us! Watch the video for ‘Ride Of Die’ here:


Produced by Steve Ansell and mastered by Katie Tavini, Ride Or Die – the new album from ARXX – is out now via Submarine Cat Records. Order and find out about their upcoming tour dates here.

Photo Credit: Rosie Powell

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